Children's Home run by Lancashire County Council in Lancashire

Unique reference number SC064735 Inspection date 17/11/2010 Inspector Helen Walker Type of inspection Key

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Date of last inspection 12/02/2010 Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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This document may be reproduced in whole or in part for non-commercial educational purposes, provided that the information quoted is reproduced without adaptation and the source and date of publication are stated.

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You can obtain copies of The Children Act 2004, Every Child Matters and The National Minimum Standards for Children’s Services from: The Stationery Office (TSO) PO Box 29, St Crispins, Duke Street, Norwich, NR3 1GN. Tel: 0870 600 5522. Online ordering: www.tso.co.uk/bookshop

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About this inspection

The purpose of this inspection is to assure children and young people, parents, the public, local authorities and government of the quality and standard of the service provided. The inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000.

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About this inspection

This report details the main strengths and any areas for improvement identified during the inspection. The judgements included in the report are made in relation to the outcomes for children set out in the Children Act 2004 and the relevant National Minimum Standards for the service.

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The inspection judgements and what they mean

Outstanding: this aspect of the provision is of exceptionally high quality Good: this aspect of the provision is strong Satisfactory: this aspect of the provision is sound Inadequate: this aspect of the provision is not good enough

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Brief description of the service

This local authority home provides care and accommodation for up to six young people, aged from 12 to 17 years old. It is located in a residential area and has good access to public transport links. It is a two storey building and has a lounge, dining room, computer room, kitchen, laundry and two staff offices on the ground floor. Bedrooms are all on the first floor and each young person has their own bedroom. There are shared bathrooms and toilets also on the first floor and a separate toilet for staff and visitors on the ground floor. There is an enclosed garden to the rear of the house, which has a grassed area and a range of vegetable plots.

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Brief description of the service

Six young people live in the home and took part in the inspection process.

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Summary

The overall quality rating is outstanding.

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Summary

This is an overview of what the inspector found during the inspection.

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Summary

At this full, unannounced inspection, the key national minimum standards in all the outcome areas are considered.

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Summary

Young people receive an outstanding standard of care from an experienced, qualified and consistent staff group. The Registered Manager provides excellent leadership to enable staff to work as a team. Overall the management team are enthusiastic, competent and give an exceptional level of support to the staff team in their work with the young people.

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Summary

Robust systems and highly effective care practices ensure that young people are cared for safely and their individual needs are met. A strength of the home is the way in which they successfully work together with other professionals, in particular health and social care. This holistic approach significantly benefits the welfare and well-being of the young people. Staff use a range of interventions to increase young people's confidence, self-esteem and social skills.

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Summary

The accommodation provides a homely and well-maintained environment for young people. Education is extremely well promoted and young people's diverse interests are actively encouraged by staff.

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Summary

There are no actions or recommendations arising as a result of this inspection.

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Improvements since the last inspection

No actions or recommendations were made at the last inspection.

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Helping children to be healthy

Young people receive excellent advice about healthy eating. A cook is employed weekdays and ensures young people's individual dietary needs are catered for. Young people really like the meals in the home and say 'we've got the best cook going, amazing and they also make things like takeaway meals'. Staff encourage young people to eat a varied and balanced diet. Snacks, including fresh fruit, are freely available in the home.

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Helping children to be healthy

Young people have the opportunity to shop, prepare and make meals, which helps them to learn skills for independence. Young people say they are listened to about their food choices and staff help them to bake and also cook brunch on Sunday. The home has an organic vegetable plot and two greenhouses. Staff assist young people to grow fruit and vegetables to help them understand about how their food is produced and to benefit from the exercise of gardening.

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Helping children to be healthy

The home has a suitably furnished dining room. This enables young people to sit at the dining table and have meals in a social environment with the other young people and staff.

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Helping children to be healthy

The health needs of young people are extremely well met. Young people's individual health needs are known to staff with comprehensive health plans are in place. Staff register young people with a doctor, dentist and optician when they are admitted and young people say that staff support them at their appointments. A real strength of the home is their working partnership with health professionals. Strong links exist with health professionals to provide young people with exceptionally good advice and guidance about health matters. This includes education about sexual health and relationships.

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Helping children to be healthy

Staff encourage all young people to lead a healthy lifestyle. Young people participate and enjoy activities to benefit their physical well-being, for example, cycling and horse-riding.

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Helping children to be healthy

The home has guidance in place for the safe storage, administration and disposal of medicines. Records are accurate and demonstrate the guidance is effective in practice. Staff are qualified to administer first aid treatment as needed.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Staff fully understand the need to keep young people safe from harm and take their responsibilities very seriously. They know how to respond in the event of any allegation or concern about a young person's safety. Staff receive training to assist them to care for and to promote the welfare of young people, for example, if concerns arise from sexual exploitation. Young people say 'we feel safe living in the home and staff look after us well. They talk about the dangers and encourage us to keep safe'.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The home's contact with professional multi-agency teams, significantly benefits the well-being of the young people. Comments from health and social work professionals confirm communication with staff at the home is excellent and helps them to work together to support and protect the young people.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Young people have an individual bedroom which provides them with their own personal space. Some of the young people have a mobile phone and all have access to a telephone in the home, to enable private calls to be made. Confidentiality is effectively managed and personal records are stored securely.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The home's complaints procedure is known to young people and gives them the opportunity to raise any issues they are unhappy with. Any complaint is taken seriously and effectively dealt with by the manager. Consultation systems are robust and allow young people to have their views and opinions heard. Some young people say they are looked after so well at the home, they have had no need to make a complaint.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Young people confirm there is no bullying in the home at this time and that staff are quick to deal with and challenge any incidents of this nature. Individual work is undertaken to educate young people that bullying is wrong.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Good procedures exist should young people go missing from the home. Staff record unauthorised absences fully, with details of the action taken to try to ensure the young person's safe return.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Young people are encouraged to develop appropriate and acceptable behaviours. Staff promote a positive culture within the house which includes an emphasis on celebrating achievements and an ethos of respect. For example, education success is fully recognised.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

Staff receive support and training to assist them to deal properly with challenging behaviour, including the appropriate use of physical intervention. Staff talk very positively about their work with the young people. They demonstrate highly effective skills to defuse difficult situations between young people and provide consistent, firm and fair outcomes. Young people like it that the staff treat them fairly and say 'I love it here, if you're different they still treat you the same as other people.' Good monitoring of the home's records shows the manager is keen to maintain effective and appropriate disciplinary measures for young people.

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Protecting children from harm or neglect and helping them stay safe

The house and grounds are very well maintained and staff understand the need to keep a safe home environment. Health and safety monitoring is comprehensive and relevant safety checks of equipment in the home are routinely carried out, to ensure this is safe to use. Young people and staff are aware of the fire evacuation procedures and know what to do in the event of a fire in the home. Since the last inspection the staff group remains the same with no new staff employed. The manager confirms the provider's recruitment and employment procedures remain thorough and these ensure any new staff appointed are suitable to work with young people.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Young people have excellent levels of individual support from staff, including that of a key worker. Staff provide very good role models and use a range of interventions to raise young people's confidence, self-esteem and social skills. Young people receive care that suits their specific needs. For example, significant advice and support are given about health and education.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Young people talk very positively about the time spent with staff and the support they receive to do the things they want to do. Staff ensure young people have access to activities and services as available to other young people.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

A range of opportunities exist for young people to undertake activities such as sport, gardening and trips to places of interest. Through negotiation with the staff, young people of relevant age say they look forward to driving lessons. Young people are delighted with this opportunity and consider it will benefit them significantly in adult life. Young people are especially happy that staff understand their aspirations and help them to achieve these.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Young people have the benefit of a highly motivated and positive staff group whose approach is to value education for the young people. This helps young people with the process of learning in order to prepare them for adulthood.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Some young people are reluctant to participate in education; however, staff seek for them to have the same life chances and opportunities as others. Through the home's 'education champion' the staff work closely with the authority's 'virtual school' to look at the provision of appropriate education. For those not of school age then the staff are persistent to find suitable vocational or work training and employment.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Young people benefit from staff who support them and help them to achieve educational qualifications and employment with career prospects. Staff attend relevant education meetings, such as parents' evening. Young people say 'they always go to my education meetings and you can't get better than that, they also go when it's their day off.' Without hesitation staff assist young people with homework tasks and young people appreciate this.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

Staff encourage young people to take an interest in issues worldwide and the local community. For example, young people participated in a charity bicycle ride and made celebration cards which raised money for charities locally and overseas.

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Helping children achieve well and enjoy what they do

The home has facilities to support the young people's learning, such as books, board games and quiet areas in the house. Young people have access in the home to computers with internet access and can use this for homework or in leisure time.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Placement plans clearly identify young people's individual care needs. Plans are very informative and monitored so that extremely good outcomes are achieved for the young people. Staff are particularly knowledgeable and familiar with the plans which support them in their work with the young people. Young people are fully involved in the care planning process.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

The home has robust and well-established systems to review young people's care and placement plans. Staff actively encourage young people to attend their review meeting to give their views about their placement and future care. Outcomes are noted on young people's files to show any changes to care plans and the action staff need to take as a result of the review.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Staff encourage young people to make choices about contact with family and friends in line with their placement plans. In accordance with these plans staff welcome family and friends of the young people to the home. Young people are very happy with these arrangements.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Practical support is given for contact to take place, such as the provision of transport. Use is made of appropriate internet access to social networking sites. This allows young people to maintain friendships in a way that is an accepted part of their lifestyle and within their peer group. Staff fully support young people to maintain contact so that they continue to have positive links with those that are important to them outside of the home.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Young people are able to move into and leave the home in a planned way. Young people say that through planned visits this changed their view of what a children's home was like and as a result they wanted to live at this home. Written and verbal information provide young people with details about the care and routines in the home.

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Helping children make a positive contribution

Young people's views are valued and there are many opportunities for them to have their say. Consultation and communication with young people are areas of strength in the home. Staff empower young people to make informed decisions about their life and to influence the way the home is run. Young people are asked their opinions about aspects of the running of the home, for example, decoration of the house, menus and activities. This level of consultation significantly helps to improve young people's quality of life.

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Achieving economic wellbeing

Young people receive care which helps prepare them for adulthood. They receive excellent support to explore further education or employment opportunities. Strong links between education and the home ensure young people are properly prepared for employment or further education. This allows young people to discover the work, training and further education opportunities available to them. Young people's pathway plans for leaving care are very comprehensive and detail their future plans. Young people say they are fully involved in the plans and are proud of what they have achieved so far.

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Achieving economic wellbeing

Young people have significant encouragement to reach their individual potential and develop skills for independence. Careful consideration is given to young people's age and ability and any planning of intervention in developing skills in independence takes this into account. Young people are enabled to learn skills that are of use in everyday life. For example, to shop, cook and use public transport. Additionally, young people learn how to open a bank account and apply for official documents such as a driving licence and passport. Young people say they feel well prepared for leaving care.

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Achieving economic wellbeing

Young people benefit from very comfortable and well-maintained accommodation. The decoration and furnishings in the home are of a good standard and the environment is homely and welcoming.

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Achieving economic wellbeing

The home is located in a residential area, and has the benefit of domestic and house maintenance staff. It is evident that all staff and young people take pride in the upkeep of the house which is very clean, tidy and welcoming.

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Achieving economic wellbeing

Young people have their own bedrooms and the option to personalise them, which reflects their individuality. Communal and private areas in the home allow young people the opportunity to spend time with others or by themselves.

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Organisation

The Statement of Purpose and young person's guide to the service contain clear and detailed information about the home and facilities. This enables young people, their families and others involved with the home to understand how young people are looked after.

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Organisation

The home is exceptionally well-managed by a competent and qualified Registered Manager who provides excellent leadership to the staff team. Currently, two assistant managers support the Registered Manager in his work. The management group are highly motivated, enthusiastic and fully committed to the improvement of the service they provide to the young people. The promotion of equality and diversity is outstanding. The staff group provide excellent role models for young people in relation to values and attitudes in life. Young people are treated as individuals and their assessed needs are well considered. Staff take the opportunity to improve the life chances of young people, particularly through the promotion of education and health. A staff member is the nominated 'equalities champion' who helps to ensure all aspects of equality are considered for the benefit of the young people.

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Organisation

Young people are cared for by an experienced, consistent and knowledgeable staff team. Staff receive training to enable them to carry out their roles effectively. This includes training to meet the more specific needs of the young people. For example, training related to restorative justice. Staff have a relevant childcare qualification which helps to inform and assist them in their work with the young people. Suitable numbers of staff are on duty to care for the young people and enable them to have staff support in activities that are away from the home.

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Organisation

Staff are very responsive to and understand the care needs of the young people. The ethos of the home is to provide young people with a nurturing and supportive environment in order for them to reach their potential. Young people say 'we get on well with staff; they treat us like young adults.'

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Organisation

A significant level of stability is afforded to the young people through the continuity of staff. Most of the staff have worked at the home for many years with recent staff in their third year of employment.

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Organisation

Young people are comfortable and at ease with the staff. The good humoured banter between them is evident. Overall the atmosphere is relaxed and the relationship between the young people and staff is excellent with firm but fair boundaries.

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Organisation

Staff comment that the management team provide excellent support to help them in their work with the young people. They say the manager listens to them, they are treated as equals and their views are valued.

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Organisation

Comprehensive management systems help to ensure the home runs to the benefit of the young people. The Registered Manager monitors the paperwork in the home and also staff care practice. Monthly reports from an independent visitor to the home contribute to the very effective running of the service.

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Organisation

Young people's files contain all the information required by the standards and regulations. Information from other records held in the home is appropriately cross referenced into these individual files. This gives young people a clear record of their history in the home. Files are in good order and are stored securely, to protect confidentiality.

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